Kingdom Animalia Suborder Iguania Genus Leiocephalus Phylum Chordata Rank Species | Subphylum Vertebrata Family Leiocephalidae Scientific name Leiocephalus eremitus Higher classification Curly-tailed lizards Order Scaled reptiles | |
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The Navassa curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus eremitus) is an extinct lizard species from the family of curly-tailed lizards (Leiocephalidae). It is known only from the one female specimen from which it was described in 1868. A second specimen which was collected by Rollo Beck in 1917 was identified as a Tiburon curly-tailed lizard (Leiocephalus melanochlorus) by herpetologist Richard Thomas in 1966.
Contents
Geographic range
Leiocephalus eremitus was endemic to Navassa Island.
Description
The size of the holotype is given as 64 mm (2 1⁄2 in) snout-vent length (SVL). The head and ventral scales are smooth. The dorsal scales are larger than the scales on the flanks and the ventral scales. The dorsum is dark gray with nine dark transverse bars. The tail is pale with transverse bars on the basal half and uniformly dark gray to black on the posterior half. Throat, breast, belly and the extremities are brown with pale-tipped scales.
Behavior and Habitat
Nothing is known about its biology. The reason for its extinction is unknown too, but it might have been due to the alteration of its habitat.